


Always In My Heart

by theacerbicprince



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:00:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22755925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theacerbicprince/pseuds/theacerbicprince
Summary: A one-shot piece of a grieving sister and devastated mother.
Kudos: 7





	Always In My Heart

Molly was torturing herself; she knew that and yet she couldn’t stop. She had suffered much loss in her life and she had dealt with it, somehow, she had found the strength to carry on and yet this, _this_ was just too much for her to bear. Her children were grown now and they had all left the home and it was just her and Arthur and the silence was deafening. She felt like a ghost, walking through the familiar parts of her home and it was her home. She had changed it, morphed it over the years into a home to be proud of and she was proud of it. This home was where she had raised all of her children and it didn’t feel the same without them all here. Everywhere that she looked there were reminders of Fred, no wonder George didn’t visit when she asked him to. He had asked for her help, packing up Fred’s things but she hadn’t been able to, she had lost her strength, she had been broken. Arthur had helped George where she had failed him. She remembered that day, Bill and Fleur had come to visit with Victoire in order to distract her. Somehow that day was more painful than the funeral had been.

She had been numb for most of the service, tears sliding down her cheeks as she had watched her son interred in the earth beside her brothers. The well-wishers, there had been many of them but they had spoken more to Arthur than to her. Molly ignored the majority of them, except for Harry and Hermione who had wrapped her up in a warm hug. They were part of her family; they had been since the moment she had clapped eyes on them. It was only when most of the attendees had left and it was just her, Arthur and Charlie that she had broken. She had thrown herself on the ground, clawing her hands through the freshly deposited earth, screaming and crying like a mad woman, desperate to reach her son. Arthur had tried to stop her but she had screeched at him. She couldn’t look at him, she couldn’t look at anyone, all she wanted was to reach her Fred and wrap her arms around him, tell him that it would all be okay, that she would always be with him, that he wouldn’t be cold and alone in his grave. She didn’t remember much after that but she knew that she had been sedated and taken away back to the Burrow. The shop had already been closed so they had made the executive decision to hold the wake there and leave Molly in peace, resting at home in the arms of her husband. 

There were many couples whose relationships could not survive the death of a child but Molly and Arthur weren’t one of them. He had held her as she had cried, he had stroked her hair and kissed her and told her every time that it wasn’t her fault and that he would always be there for her. He knew her so well that she didn’t need to speak, he could see her fears and concerns for what they were. She felt guilty. It was her job to love and protect her children and she had failed her son, she should have been there to protect him, to save him and she wasn’t and she carried that guilt with her every day. 

She had woken up that morning, a weariness deep within her bones that was nothing to do with her age. She had known what day it was as soon as she had woken up and she knew that it would require great strength for her to get through this day. Arthur had told her at breakfast that she was to focus on the positives, to focus on it being George’s day. He hadn’t told her not to think of Fred, merely to direct her attention elsewhere. She knew she could do it but there was something she had to do first. He had nodded when she had told him and pressed a kiss to her forehead, going outside to prepare the garden for the party that was being held there later that day. 

Molly had finished her breakfast, eating as much of it as she could. She had vanished the remainders of it, which had been most of the plate. She had lost so much weight due to a lack of appetite that she had to make great adjustments to her clothes. She tried to smile as much as she could but it was a strained smile that rarely reached her eyes. She knew that she had to do this and she had to do this before her children arrived. 

She put her now empty plate in the sink and went upstairs to the bedroom. There was a small box in the bottom of her chest of drawers. She opened the drawer, took out the box and sat in the middle of the bed, legs crossed. Her fingers stroked the intricate wood carvings on the box for a few moments before she opened the lid, reaching in for the letters contained within. Her hands trembled as she unfolded the first letter, her lip wobbling as she read, desperately trying to contain her tears. 

_Hey Mols,_

_You missed a cracking good night, honestly. You’d have loved it, especially the cake (although it wasn’t as good as your cake, not that I’m hinting at anything you know). It’s really a shame you weren’t there, you could have met Arlene. Gideon won’t say anything to you, he wants to keep this quiet but I think he’s really into her. She might be the one for him. I hope so because I’d love to see him as happy and settled with her as you are with Arthur._

_Stay cool little sister and I will see you on the other side._

_Love,_

_Fabian_

Even after all the years that had passed between the letter in her hands and the present, feeling the love and vibrancy that had been her brother brought a smile of sadness to her lips. She missed him so much and Gideon. They had been everything to her. She placed the letter down on the bed and reached in for the one beneath it. She took a deep breath before she opened the second letter, knowing what she was letting herself in for. 

_Dear Mum,_

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_

_I’m sorry I’m not going to be there for your birthday, I am absolutely swamped right now with these accounts, who knew that running a profitable business could be such a pain? I love it really though; George and I are finally making you and Dad proud after all those years of pranks and low OWL results and the complete lack of NEWT’s._

_I promise that I will make this up to you. George and I are going to bring you the biggest cake you’ve ever seen in your life. I promise._

_Love,_

_your Freddikins_

The letter shook in her hands and she could see her tear drops landing on the bottom of the letter. With her other hand, she picked up Fabian’s letter and held the both of them together. She had named her twins in honour of her brothers and it was when she did this, looked at these letters, that it struck her how much like Fabian and Gideon her Fred and George had been. Fred and Fabian, they even had similar handwriting. She hoped that, wherever her boy was, that he was being looked after and playing pranks with his riotous uncles. There were some days where that was the only thing that brought her comfort. 

Molly folded both the letters back up and pressed a kiss to each of them before sliding them back into the box. She closed the box, held it close to her chest and tipped her head up to ceiling. 

Happy birthday Fred. Mummy loves you.”


End file.
